CNC Saloon Recap – Rotary Demo with @atwatsoniii
We had a great CNC Saloon last Saturday, starting off at Buddy’s Burgers!
Once we got to Asmbly, Al walked us through how he created the CNC file in Fusion 360 for rotary cutting. He also showed us the AI-generated post-processor file he shared on Discourse (described in this post: Laguna + Rotary + Fusion - #24 by atwatsoniii), which helped make the rotary workflow actually work without everyone having to manually wrestle the machine into submission. Thank you for saving us some time!
He explained how he found a free STL online, brought it into Fusion 360, and used the rotary to carve a highly detailed tiki. Along the way, he pointed out some key setup details:
- Feed rate: 35 IPM
- Spindle speed: 18,000 RPM
- Important Z offset: 65 mm from the plate zero to the center of the stock
- A and C are both fourth-axis references on the controller
One of the coolest parts was that when we asked Al if he had done this exact process before, he said “No, so we should keep our eyes peeled!” And we did.
He also walked us through the tooling strategy: a 1/4" roughing bit, 1/8" finishing bit, and 1/32" ultra-finishing bit. Translation: first remove the big stuff, then make it pretty, then make it real pretty.
After the walkthrough in the Multi-Purpose Room, we headed out to the CNC and watched Al set everything up on the actual machine and run the controller. The final tiki turned out awesome, and everybody was truly impressed!
Al even stayed past 11 PM trying to see just how smooth he could make it. I even had to leave before it was finished, but wow, what an incredible evening! That is CNC commitment right there.
Huge thanks to Al for doing the demo and for being willing to experiment live with the group. It was a great mix of Fusion 360, rotary setup, toolpath strategy, machine setup, and shop-floor problem solving.
Quick reminder: April CNC SIG date change
The CNC SIG is not this Sunday, since that would be Easter Sunday.
Instead, the April CNC SIG will be on Sunday, April 12 at 12:30 PM in the Multi-Purpose Room at Asmbly. The theme is Make Something New, and Be a Fool About it!
So:
- Not April 5
- Yes April 12
Don’t show up on the wrong Sunday and get stood up by a room full of folding chairs.
Thanks again to everyone who came out!
@pconklin2000 @jamesfreeman @bwatt @cjromb @rjnevels @Iammikecohen @SteveW @andrewl @Christopher
